Observations
by Annarita
Summary: While sitting at a park in San Diego, Renee does some people watching and is surprised when she realizes the family she is observing belongs to none other than Harmon Rabb, Jr.


**Observations**

Disclaimer: Not mine, nor will they ever be.

A/N: I've been re-watching the series lately, and this story wouldn't leave me alone. Normally, I'm not a fan of Renee, but something was drawing me to be nice to her for a little awhile. Also, for the purpose of this story, she never sent a postcard saying she was pregnant with twins, okay?

Summary: While sitting at a park in San Diego, Renee does some people watching and is surprised when she realizes the family she is observing belongs to none other than Harmon Rabb, Jr.

= = =  
Present Day  
Balboa Park  
San Diego, CA

I'm sitting here at the reflection pool in Balboa Park as I wait for Cyrus to finish a meeting. There was a conference for morticians this week, and considering it was in sunny and warm San Diego, I decided to tag along. After fifteen years of marriage, it's nice to get away together every once in a while. Cy doesn't like to travel much – his work keeps him busy, and I travel a lot for my work, so it's a compromise and sacrifice we make. It's probably the reason we decided that we didn't want children.

I know I love Cy, and I know he loves me, but let's face it: I am not the motherly type at all, and I'm okay with that. So is Cy. He isn't really the fatherly type either. My mother was upset at first, but my brother's wife just had baby number five, so I think that satisfied her desire for grandchildren. Although, sometimes, when I am out in public, I find myself people watching and wondering what our family would be like if Cy and I decided to have one. I guess that's just what happens when the alarm goes off on your biological clock and it makes you wonder – "what if?"

Whenever I see a family out and about, I find myself wondering what their story is. I guess it's something that comes with my line of work, but everyone has a story and sometime I'm curious about it.

I look up from the magazine I'm reading when I hear a rustle a few tables away. "Look, Grandma! I found a table."

"Grandpa and I will be right there!" she calls back, the elderly woman and her husband are about 15 paces behind the young boy and are moving as fast as they can to catch up.

The little boy, with his dark black hair, who appears to be about eight, pulls out the chair for his grandmother and flashes an adorable smile. Then he takes the picnic basket from his grandfather, and I watch the grandmother beam with pride. Those manners! I'm impressed. There has to be a story there. No eight year old is that polite and courteous – not unless you're the son of Harmon Rabb, Jr. or something. I chuckle to myself – that's a name I haven't thought about in a long while.

"Thank you for your help, Mathew," the man says. "You're such a good helper."

Mathew. So that's the boy's name.

Mathew nods. "Daddy said that I have to a good helper since I'm going to be a big brother. He said since I'm going to have a little sister I have to out for her."

As the family unpacks their picnic lunch, I begin wonder about good `ol Harmon Rabb, Jr. and where he might be now.

Did he ever grow up? Is he the forever bachelor? I find it hard to believe that he was ever able to commit to someone. And if he did, how in God's name can she deal with the fact that he's always been so hung up on Mac. I bet if she and Mic moved to Australia after the wedding, and I stayed in DC, Harm still wouldn't have proposed to me anytime soon.

Although if he did commit to someone, maybe she wouldn't have to compete with Mac since she would have already been married to Mic and, hopefully out of Harm's life.

Even when Harm accompanied to my father's funeral, I could tell he was distracted by thoughts of Mac, and JAG, and maybe still the accident. But, I guess I can't fault him too much for that – it is part of the reason I ended up with Cy, and am happy with him.

Cy and I can connect on a level that Harm and I never did. Harm's friends were all these educated military officers and lawyers who looked down on me because they just assumed that I wasn't as smart as them. And okay, maybe I wasn't, and I was a little superficial and obnoxious back then, but it's something I worked on. For Cy, none of that mattered. He loved me for me, and I didn't have to change for him, and I didn't feel the need to change him either. I guess a part of me always wanted to change Harm into something else. Looking back, I know that never would have worked. He's too stubborn and strong willed for that – I guess it is one of those things that attracted me to him in the first place – well that and the fact the man is drop-dead gorgeous…especially in that uniform.

Actually, now that I am thinking about it, I find it ironic that the qualities that drove me crazy about Harm – like his dedication to his work – are the same qualities I love about Cy.

The sun is directly in my line of sight now, and I lower my sunglasses from the top of my head to my eyes. It's still too bright for me to read my magazine, so I decided to move to the other side of the table so my back is to the sun. Even in my new position, I can still hear the conversation the young boy is having with his grandparents.

"Grandma," Mathew begins softly. "Even if my new sister is adopted, will she still be my sister?"

"Well, of course she will," the grandma began before pausing for a moment. "All families are special in their own ways. Sometimes, a baby is born to a mommy and daddy who can't take care of it and keep it safe, so they put it up for adoption where it can be put with a mommy and daddy who will love them."

"Why do people decide to adopt babies?"

"Sometimes, a mommy and daddy can't have a baby of their own, so they decide to adopt a baby," the grandfather chimed in.

"Mommy calls me her and Daddy's miracle because she said a doctor told her she probably couldn't have babies, but I was still born."

"You are a miracle," the grandma said. "You were born so early and you were so tiny, but you were such a strong little fighter. You take after your mom and dad – they are two of the strongest people I know."

The grandfather continued next. "If you still have questions about this, you can always ask your mom and dad. They'll help you understand things."

"I don't have any more questions I don't think. I was just wondering. I think it is pretty neat that my new sister is gonna be three and not a baby. Babies cry a lot I heard…I just hope Anastasia will like me, and I'm sad I can't go on the plane to Russia with them to get her."

"You do love your airplanes," the grandfather observed.

"Well, you'll get to stay with us while they're in Russia, and we get home we'll have a great big welcome home party with all of our family and friends. You can help me plan it," the grandma offered.

"That is gonna be so much fun!"

"Now, son, you should finish eating. Your parents will be here soon to meet us so we can go to the museum."

"They should be here in 2 minutes and 47 seconds," Mathew responded without missing a beat. "But Dad is always late."

"How do you do that?"

"I don't know. Dad always asks, too, but it's just something Mom and I can do."

"There you are!" calls a warm, feminine voice. "I missed you, buddy."

"You're a minute and ten seconds early!" Mathew exclaimed happily.

"Well, I'm early. You're father dropped me off, he's still looking for a parking place – otherwise, we both would have been late."

I glance over my shoulder and see the woman scoop up her son. Her back is to me, and I can see her son smile contently as he wraps his arms around her neck, and I have to admit, I feel a little envious in the moment.

"Did you have a nice sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Oh, yes, we had so much fun. We played Clue and ate popcorn and made s'mores and had a bonfire. Mommy, you could have slept over and had popcorn and s'mores with us – Daddy doesn't like s'more and popcorn so it could have just been you, me, Grandma and Grandpa. That would have been fun. What did you and Daddy do?"

"Oh, we just did some cleaning and painting for Anastasia's room – boring grown up things."

I smirk as I turn the next page. I have a feeling that dear Mathew's parents did a lot more than just clean and get a room ready for the new sister. And I give his mother props for being able to play it off so smoothly – spoken like a lawyer or something. I could almost hear the slight blush in her voice, but a child would be completely oblivious. This woman was quick on her feet.

"Hi, Mom, Frank."

That voice. It couldn't be.

"Mathew! I missed you!"

"Daddy! Lift me high like an airplane!"

Airplanes.

Frank.

Manners.

That smile.

We are in San Diego- didn't Harm's mother and stepfather Frank live in San Diageo for somewhere close to it? La Jolla, maybe?

I shift in my seat and observe the newcomer. I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is Harmon Rabb. He aged gracefully – like a fine wine – his hair is a little grayer, but other than that, he looks the same. His wife must really keep him on his toes.

Suddenly, I'm torn between being a silent observer, and going over to say hello. I would love to meet the woman who finally made Harmon Rabb settle down.

"So," Frank begins, "How did everything go with the adoption lawyer?"

"Everything appears to be great," Harm's wife answers. "We leave for Russia in five days and when we come back, we'll be a family of four." I can hear the smile in her voice.

"Oh, Mac," Trish gushes. "We couldn't be happier for all of you."

HOLD UP.

I almost choke on my water. Did she just call Harm's wife "Mac?"

I switch seats again at my table so I can completely see the table where the family is sitting. And sure enough, I see the woman's face and realize it is in fact Sarah MacKenzie. Her hair is darker than I remember, and much longer than I've ever seen her wear. She looks so happy – absolutely radiant. They say pregnant woman have a glow, but, my God, so does Mac.

Harm places his hand on her thigh and then leans over to place a kiss on her temple. She smiles and then places her hand over his, and stares in his eyes for a long moment – as if they were the only two people in the world.

Harm was never that affectionate with me in public and he never looked at me the same way he's looking at Mac right now either. It's like they can have conversations without saying a word to each other.

My curiosity gets the best of me, and I decide to go over and say hello.

"Excuse me," I begin. "I was just sitting over there," I gesture to a few tables down, "and thought I should come over and say hello."

"Renee!" Harm explains, as stands up from his seat.

Ah, yes. He's forever a gentleman, at least somethings never change.

"How are you, Renee?" Mac asks with a smile. An honest to goodness genuine smile. And I thought she never liked me – I was expecting her greeting to be a bit more cold.

We exchanged pleasantries, and I was introduced to Mathew Harmon Rabb, who is the perfect combination of both of his parents. I made a comment about how he has Harm's looks, but definitely Mac's brains. I don't know why but it struck a chord with Harm and Mac and they did that thing where they looked at each other so they were the only people in the world.

Sensing some of the tension, Trish and Frank decided to take Mathew for an ice cream cone and left the three of us alone to catch up for a minute.

"So," Harm begins cautiously, as if he is testing the waters. "How is Cy?"

"Oh, he's great!" I answer happily. "We've been married almost 16 years now." Mac looks as if she's going to offer a response, but I don't really give her a chance. "No, we don't have any kids," I answer, sensing where her question may have been going. "We aren't really the type of people who would make ideal parents." Then I change the subject. "What about you two – married 15, 16 years, too?"

"We've been married 11 years," Harm answers sheepishly.

I raise my eyebrow as I do the mental math. "So how long did you two date then- four, five years?" I ask, assuming they must have hooked up soon after I was out of the picture. I assumed she must have called off her wedding as soon as she learned Harm was a single man again, I guess she did go through with the wedding after all then.

"Uh, well," Mac begins, equally as sheepishly as Harm had just been. "We didn't exactly date ever….we went from being friends to engaged in just a matter of minutes."

I cross my arms as I lean back in my seat. "There's got to be a story. How long were you married to Mic?"

Mac almost looks offended. "Mic and I never made it down the aisle, Renee. He went back to Australia the night your father died and that was that."

"Oh, geez. I didn't realize." And I really didn't know that, this knew information doesn't shock me to the core, though. Harm and Mac must have always been destined to be with each other.

She shrugged. "It all worked out in the end," she smiled at Harm.

"So…I'm still not following. What took you two so long then? Some sort of the military rules of conduct nonsense and all that?"

"I guess so," Harm answers. "Basically, I got a transfer to London; Mac got a transfer to San Diego. Something about the possibility of not seeing each other again put things into perspective for me."

"Nine years of our "dance" came down to twelve hours," Mac interjects.

"I guess I just needed a deadline to sort things out," he held Mac's hand again. "The problem was, neither one of us wanted to let the other one give up their career, so we flipped a coin to see if we'd be going to London or San Diego."

"And I'm assuming San Diego won?" Harm must've given up the Navy to be with her. He never would have done that for me, but I suppose giving up something important like that is easy if it's for the right person.

"Sort of…" Mac began.

Effortlessly, Harm continued for her. "Bud flipped the coin, and the next thing we know, the General reaches up and grabs it before it lands. He said that it was ridiculous for two intelligent military lawyers to result to flipping a coin to determine their futures. So, he did some checking and found openings for both of us in San Diego."

"I took up a seat on the bench, Harm ended up with the position I would have held. It worked out better for us that way. I retired from the Corps when I became pregnant with Mathew." She grows solemn for a moment. "It was a very complicated pregnancy and it was just the right thing to do. I still do some paralegal work on base as a civilian and it's the perfect job for me. Plus, it puts Admiral Rabb here on the stepping stone for being the JAG in the very near feature."

"Admiral Rabb, huh?" He sure came a long way from the Lt. Commander I first met all those years ago. "Well, I am sincere when I say this: I'm glad everything worked out for you two. I think I always had a feeling it would."

I know there is much more to their story that I do not know, and I know full well that I am not privy to that information, either. After all, I am only the ex-girlfriend. But something in me makes me wonder what paths they had to take to end up together. It's not that I'm pondering the road not taken, or thinking Harm was the one who got away, because he's not. It's just a tiny part of me is a hopeless romantic at heart that wants to know if the relationship of Harmon Rabb and Sarah MacKenzie is something that fairytales are made up of. I guess it comes with the territory of expanding my resume from "producer" to "screenwriter."

The shrill ring of my phone breaks me from my thoughts. I look down and see Cy's picture on the screen. "Excuse me a moment," I say as I drag my finger across the screen to answer. "Hey… Yes, that's wonderful. Sure, sure… I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes. Okay. Love you, too." I end the call and look at the couple in front of. "Cy's meeting is over, I'm going to meet him for lunch."

Harm and Mac both stand as I do. "It was nice seeing you, Renee," Harm offers.

"You, too," and a simple as that, I turn to leave and we go our separate ways.

After walking a few feet, I turn and look over my shoulder. I just can't resist it. I smile as I watch Harm place his hand on the small of Mac's back and uses it to guide her through the crowd. She leans closer and rests her head against his shoulder.

In this moment, I realize something I should have realized long ago. Harm and Mac were always best friends. Harm and I, on the other hand, never were best friends – hell, I don't even know if we were ever friends even. If Harm and I couldn't be best friends with one another, why did I ever think our relationship would last in the long run?

I read once that love is friendship set on fire, and I think it's true.

Just looking at them, I can tell.

Maybe they'd let me write a movie about their lives someday…

I smirk.

I don't think anyone would believe the stories I could come up with about Harm and Mac as fictional yet alone a reality.

Hollywood isn't ready for their love story…yet.


End file.
